Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to aircraft safety systems and more particularly to a system and method for preventing collisions between the wingtips of an aircraft moving on the ground and obstructions.
2. Description of the Background Art
Moving aircraft are subject to a variety of situations in which a collision may occur. Recently, advanced GPS systems have been proposed to assure separation between aircraft along their flight paths. Yet one form of collision that is very common among small private aircraft occurs when the pilot taxies the aircraft. Airports are often overcrowded with aircraft while the taxiways are small and may be subject to further encroachment by poorly-parked aircraft. The problem is especially difficult for pilots taxiing in small airports as it is difficult to maneuver the typical 25-40 foot wingspan of a private aircraft amidst a crowded taxiway while keeping the tips from striking other aircraft or obstructions that exist alongside the taxiway. In order to maintain clearance from other aircraft, the pilot while taxiing must look in front of the aircraft and needs to closely monitor the wingtips on either side of the aircraft. The difficulty in judging the proximity of an aircraft wingtip to an obstruction, such as the empennage, propellor, or wingtip of another aircraft should be appreciated. For example, if the tip of the wing is twenty feet (20 ft.) from the pilot, then the pilot must judge possible obstructions in front of the wing are more or less than twenty feet (20 ft.) away. Any error in making this distance judgement can lead to damages to both aircraft. The situation is far removed from a driver attempting to park a car, because a driver is close enough to the periphery of a car, or even a side of the motorhome, to judge the side-distance and generally may only require help in judging the in-line distance to the obstruction. In the situation of an aircraft, however, the position of the obstruction is far removed and distance must be judged in relation to a wingtip which is also far removed from the pilot. During taxiing the pilot is continually attempting to judge if an obstruction is in a forward line with one of the other wingtip. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the pilot must correctly judge the distance well before the tip of the wing approaches the obstruction so that sufficient room exists to maneuver around the obstruction. If insufficient maneuver room exists, then the pilot will be generally required to shutdown the aircraft use a tow-bar to back up and reposition the aircraft as few smaller aircraft have reversible thrust propellers.
As can be seen, therefore, the development of an apparatus and method for tracking wingtip position between an aircraft moving on the ground and its surroundings would be capable of preventing numerous minor collisions. The system and method of preventing aircraft wingtip collisions in accordance with the present invention satisfies that need, as well as others, and overcomes deficiencies in previously known techniques.
The present invention is a system and method for tracking the relative position of the wingtips of an aircraft by utilizing a light pattern projected forward of the wingtip to aid the pilot in judging the proximity of nearby obstructions. The system employs a set of forward projecting beams, such as from a laser light source, which are configured on the aircraft to project forward of the wingtip to illustrate conditions of an impending collision so that the pilot can easily avoid the obstruction. The beams are projected from the wingtip in a pattern that preferably yields information to the pilot as to both obstruction forward distance and lateral distance. By way of example and not of limitation the beams may be projected as circles, cross-hairs, boxes, and so forth, whose projected size is an indicator of forward distance, and whose projected position on a subject obstruction determines the amount of the obstruction that may be struck should the aircraft continue traversing a straight-path. One or more additional light sources may be incorporated to more precisely gauge distance, or angle, or for aiding with the detection of distance for other aircraft surfaces, such as the tail surfaces. One embodiment is exemplified utilizing a pair of central vertical-fan laser beams coordinated with spiral-rotation laser beams on the tips wherein the distance and relationship of the wingtip and the upcoming object is represented by the light pattern thrown-up on the obstruction.
An object of the invention is to provide additional positional feedback to the pilot of the aircraft relating the position of their wingtips to nearby obstructions.
Another object of the invention is to create a tip tracking system that provides a forward distance reference for the pilot between a wingtip and a possible obstruction.
Another object of the invention is to create a tip tracking system that provides a lateral distance reference which indicates if a collision on a straightforward travel path is likely.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tip tracking system that may be easily implemented on existing aircraft.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tip tracking system that does not require that additional wiring be routed through the wings of an aircraft.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system of tip tracking that is reliable for both daytime and nighttime operations.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system that can optionally provide accurate distance information from the aircraft to obstruction.
Another object of the invention is to provide feedback to the pilot so that operation of the system can be verified.
Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic means of shutting down the tip tracking system to reduce any likelihood of airborne operation.
Another object of the invention is to provide a tip tracking system that may be mounted to the airframe with minimal airflow disruption and commensurate drag.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon.